“You know that doesn’t matter, right?” He reached over and touched my thigh. I flinched at the feel of his palm.
“I’d still like to know,” I murmured.
“You’d be number two.” He sighed. “I told you about my ex-girlfriend, she was number one.” His voice sounded slightly worried. “You knew you weren’t the first when we started this.”
“I know.” I was still looking out the window. It was easier to have this conversation when I wasn’t looking at his face. I didn’t want to see the possible hurt that I was putting there. “I just… I needed to know that I wasn’t one of many.” I sighed.
Caleb withdrew his hand and placed it back on the wheel. “What kinda guy do you think I am?” His voice rose slightly.
“I don’t know. I’m sorry.” I turned and saw the hurt flash across his face before he hid it. This was the old Caleb, the one who used to work so hard to piss me off.
“I’ve been slowly falling for you for years.” He hit the steering wheel with his palm. “I’ve been fighting an internal battle over my feelings because I know that your dad could take me out if he wanted to. I know that somewhere inside you, you know that the number of women I’ve been with doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m with you right now.” His face was getting redder and redder the longer he talked. “Do you hear me right now?”
“Yes.” It was a little more than a whisper.
“Do you believe me?” he begged.
“Yes.” A tear leaked from my eye. “I do, but you have to understand that this is all new for me. Every time we do something, part of me wonders how many times you’ve done it before. I can’t help it.”
Caleb slowed the truck down and pulled over. He turned to face me. “I’m falling in love with you, Riley. Do you hear me? I thought I loved my ex-girlfriend, but after being with you, I know it wasn’t love. This,” he wagged his finger between us, “this is love. And as far as worrying about my past… it doesn’t matter because everything we do is like doing it for the first time for me. I’ve never felt like this, and it scares the shit outta me. I keep waiting for you to walk away, to find someone better, to realize that you don’t want to be with me.” He sat there panting as if telling me this took everything out of him.
Meanwhile, I’m still processing that he told me he loved me. “You really love me?” It came out as disbelief, but I’d seen the way he looked at me.
“Yeah, I love you.” He grinned. “I’m fucking crazy about you.” He laughed as he shook his head.
“I love you too.” I giggled as he watched me. We sat there for a few minutes like two fools before he pulled back out on the road.
“No more of this crazy stuff, K?” He pushed against my shoulder.
“K.” I smirked. He loved me. He actually said it, and I knew he meant it.
Chapter 24Caleb
The ride home seemed to take much longer than the ride out there. I don’t know why. Usually going home seems faster. You don’t have the excitement, and time seems to move faster, but not this time. When we reached the Massachusetts state line, I felt a huge weight being lifted while a new one settled in my stomach. We were back. We could get back to our lives. The knowledge that I’d been keeping a secret from her after I promised I wouldn’t was slowly killing me. I’d tried to work up the courage to tell her everything at least twice a day. It never seemed like the right moment, and the longer I waited the harder it was to justify doing it. She was going to hate me, and I wasn’t sure if our new relationship would survive the fall out.
“You ready for this?” I glanced in her direction when we finally reached her driveway.
“No,” she murmured as she stared out the window. “How come it looks so different to me? We’ve only been gone two weeks.”
“Maybe you’re seeing it with different eyes now.” I shrugged. All I wanted to do was escape. I knew I sounded like a pussy, but the idea of facing her father made me sick to my stomach. “I’ll stay as long as you want me to,” I reassured her as I patted her leg.
“You think maybe we could just skip this part, and go to your house?” She offered a half-smile before a small laugh escaped.
“I’m sure my mom would rat us out.” I chuckled. “She can’t keep a secret to save her life.”
“You’re probably right.” Riley rolled her eyes before a breath escaped between her lips.
I pulled up to the house and cut the engine. It looked quiet from the outside, but I knew different. Lights shone through the windows of the home gym, and Angela’s car was parked off to the side.
“Guess they stayed home from work today,” she mused as she avoided opening her door. It was strange. I’ve been on Riley’s case to let me be a gentleman for days, telling her to wait for me. Now, she’s actually doing it, but it’s an avoidance thing.
“Guess so.” I unbuckled and turned to face her. “We do this together.” I gave a quick smile before leaning forward to peck her lips. I opened my door, and slowly rounded the truck. I knew Wes and Angela would be home. I’d talked to them when Riley was in the bathroom at our last stop. I’d told them we were almost here. Now, I was rethinking that. Was
